The Binding of Fates
by Krazie-Kenzie
Summary: Hermione had just rushed out of the yule ball when she crashed into a certain Weasley twin. In what only seemed like an innocent moment, two strings of fate were bonded together and the course of time was forever changed. Soulmates AU.
1. An Innocent Kiss

**Summary: Hermione had just rushed out of the yule ball when she crashed into a certain Weasley twin. In what only seemed like an innocent moment, two strings of fate were bonded together. Soulmates AU.**

 **Chapter 1 - An Innocent kiss**

"Ron, you spoiled EVERYTHING" Hermione yelled as she bolted for an empty room. Tears streamed down her face and all she could think was ' _I hate him. I HATE HIM!'._

She burst into what had seemed like an empty room, and fell to the floor with sobs. All she had wanted was a fun night with the first boy who had actually been interested in her. Her! It had seemed impossible to have any boy fancy her, especially someone like Victor!

She tore off her heels and brought her knees up to her chest as she leaned against a desk. She had tried so hard to have fun that night, to be someone else besides lame, bookworm Hermione. And Ron had ruined all that.

"What a PRAT!" She shouted as she threw one of her shoes at the wall. Suddenly she froze as a voice spoke out of the darkness.

"Well that's not very nice! What did the wall do to deserve such treatment?" Fred Weasley stepped out of the corner of the room, laughing.

"Have you been there the whole time?!" Hermione interrogated, furious at the thought that he had been watching her, listening to her cry!

"Nah, I just came in through the other door at the moment a certain shoe, hit a very unsuspecting wall. So who's the prat making you throw things at inanimate objects? Was it dear ol' Vicy? He did seem like a pompous tw-" He stopped abruptly when her tear streaked face looked up at him. Her warm brown eyes held a mixture of anger and sadness. He immediately stopped and went to hug her.

"Oh my Merlin, Hermione! I had no idea you were crying! I'm sorry!" He panicked, not sure how to comfort a girl. Ginny never really cried after the prime age of 4, and he never had to deal with a crying girl on his hands.

Hermione didn't know what to do but she broke down and gripped Fred's robes as he awkwardly patted her back.

"Your stupid brother is horrible!" She whispered as she tried to steady her sobs. Fred's tightened as he felt rage course through his body. His younger brother had always been thick-headed but he never would have guessed he would have made Hermione break down like this.

The sudden burst of anger at the thought of Ron causing Hermione this much pain, scared him. He pushed the question of ' _Why?'_ to the back of his mind to deal with later.

"What did he do now?" He asked her gingerly. He didn't want to upset her more, and a furious hermione was one of the scariest things anyone would ever see.

"He, He just wouldn't let me do anything! He wouldn't leave me alone, he wouldn't let me be happy, he wouldn't let me be anything but ugly, bookworm Hermione!" She explained, her tears increasing again as she did so.

Fred's mind shut down, He had no idea what to say, or what was the right thing to say. Without thinking he just blurted out,

"Ugly? He called you ugly?" Hermione froze. ' _Why is that the thing he asks about?_ ", she thought in confusion. It was general knowledge that Hermione wasn't known for her looks.

"N-No, just… that's just what I'm known as, you know? The ugly bookworm... " She trailed off. Fred stared at her in disbelief. She thought she was ugly? How was that even possible?

"Hermione! Why would you think that? You were the belle of the ball tonight!" He blurted out before having a heavy blush climb up his cheeks. ' _Why on EARTH did I say that?!_ ' He asked himself as Hermione looked up at him in shock.

"D-Do you mean that?" She stammered out, a cute blush flushing her cheeks. She had always found the Weasley Twins attractive. The entire female population of the school couldn't deny their looks. Though Fred had always stood out to Hermione. Unlike what most people thought, they weren't completely identical and shortly after she had met them, she was able to tell them apart.

Even in the dark Hermione could see the differences. Fred had certain freckles in different places and his eyes were a few shades darker than his twin's. As well as his voice have a richer tone to it, unlike George's.

"Of course I mean it." He responded and found that he meant it. Like every other bloke in the hall when Hermione came down those stairs, he froze. She was absolutely breathtaking. He always knew she was pretty, unlike some other blokes. Though he had never admitted that he thought that to anyone. Not even George.

"I… What about Angelina? Why aren't you with her?" Hermione found herself asking, with curiosity. She was there when Fred had asked her to the ball.

"Oh! Well it seems her and George hit it off. Which is totally fine. I only asked her to prove to Ron and Harry that it's not that hard. She was the first girl that I saw and knew." He explained with a light laugh.

"Anyway, If Ron is the villain of the night, Where's Krum?" He asked.

"Oh… I think some other girls were wanting to dance with him and I got so caught up with Ron I ran out." She answered sheepishly.

"Oh… Well… are you two going out now?" He asked, silently hoping she said no. Though he wasn't sure why he wanted her to say that.

"I don't think so. We don't have that much in common and I can barely talk to him. I mainly said yes because I didn't think anyone else would ask me, and it was the first time someone had actually showed interest in me." She admitted. She wasn't sure why, but it was easy to talk to Fred. She found herself extremely comfortable with him.

"I doubt that's true. Lots of people have probably been pining after you. They especially will after tonight." He said, almost bitterly. He didn't like the weird wave of jealousy that came with it.

"I doubt it. Plus it's not like I have any experience in that department. I haven't even been kissed." She said without thinking. Hermione's hand flew to her mouth in shock as she just admitted that to Fred without any thought. A heavy blush hit her face.

Fred didn't know what came over him, but he laughed lightly. Hermione's face flushed with anger and regret as she hit him with her other shoe.

"You Prat Weasley! Is it Genetic that all Weasley men are jerks?" She said as she went to get up.

Fred looked at her with horror as he realized what had happened and how it seemed to her.

"NO! No!" He grabbed her wrist, not letting her get away without explaining. They now were both standing as Hermione tried to yank her wrist out of his grasp.

"Let me go!" She told him angrily. She couldn't believe she trusted him.

"No! Let me explain! I was laughing because I haven't kissed anyone before either!" He said quickly to her, blushing.

"W-What?" She stammered, looking at him in shock.

"But… But you're so popular… and so many girls like you. How have you never had your first kiss?" Hermione asked. Fred chuckled and unconsciously let his hand fall from her wrist to her hand. Hermione blushed as a shock went through her body at the sudden change of contact.

"I guess I haven't found the right girl…" He mumbled as he stared down as her, focusing on her lips. He didn't know why but his entire being was urging himself to kiss her. ' _Ugh come on Fred, what happened to your cool, suave and smooth self?_ ' He asked himself. Somehow Hermione made every slick move or thought fall apart.

"M-Maybe… maybe we could help each other out in t-that d-department?" He stuttered out, nervously. Mentally kicking himself at his stutter.

Hermione's face was on fire. ' _Did he seriously just ask to kiss her? Her? Boring, bookworm her?_ ' she thought in shock.

"Yeah, maybe…" She found herself whispering out, looking up at him through her lashes.

Fred's heart fluttered. She was so cute and beautiful. He brushed a piece of hair out of her face slowly. Staring into her eyes, occasionally looking to her lips.

He leaned in and took a deep breath before giving her a quick, slow kiss. Warmth fled throughout both their bodies. The world seemed to stop, and the feeling of sparks flying was apparent.

They broke apart quickly, blushing heavily.

And with that, Hermione grabbed her shoes, and bolted out of the room. Leaving Fred confused and bewildered.

Little did they know, that little, innocent kiss change everything.

 **AN: First of all, Disclaimer. I do not own any Harry Potter characters or settings. Only the words and plot to the story.**

 **SECOND OF ALL. This will not be your average Fremione soulmate AU story! It will be different with twists and turns! I love this ship and I am excited to continue writing this fic!**


	2. There's Nothing Wrong

**Disclaimer: I don't own any of the Harry Potter characters or settings or the original plot line of the books.**

 **Chapter 2: There's Nothing Wrong**

The weeks following the Yule Ball were a rush to Hermione. She threw herself into schoolwork and helping Harry with the Triwizard Tournament. And to Fred's dismay, completely and utterly ignored him.

Fred was at a loss. He was starting to really like Hermione. After the kiss, she was all he could think about. He could tell that George was starting to suspect something was up.

Fred had yet to tell George about what had happened the night of the Yule Ball. And to be honest, Fred didn't plan to. At least, not until he figured out what the hell was going on with him and Hermione. He had tried multiple times to corner her and talk but each time she found some excuse and would dash away with a flush in her cheeks.

Fred had started to think he did something wrong. He wracked his brain as to what he could have done to upset Hermione but the only thing he could think of was the fact he had kissed her in the first place.

' _But hadn't she willingly given me permission and seemed to have wanted me to kiss her in the first place?_ ' He thought. She just didn't make any sense to him. Hermione Granger was a complete mystery to Fred and he was determined to solve it.

A grand total of three weeks had passed before George Weasley cracked. He had been spending his time trying to figure out what exactly was up with his twin. He had yet to ask Fred anything directly, just hinting about talking between them. Finally, as the Gryffindor common room was close to empty, George snapped.

"Oy, what is up with you?" George asked and Fred jumped. He had been staring off into the distance, or rather at Hermione, when George suddenly spoke. Fred quickly turned to his brother.

"What do you mean?" Fred asked, fearing that his brother had somehow figured out what had happened.

"You've been totally weird since the Yule Ball. What happened?" George asked, staring at his brother. He was going to get his twin to crack. ' _They told each other everything… right?_ ' George thought.

"Nothing! Nothing's wrong!" Fred responded, a little too quickly. Fred was starting to panic. If George found out he would not only be teased mercilessly but Hermione would too. He wouldn't do that to her. Especially since it would ruin any chance he might have with her.

"That's bullshit and you know it Gred. What's gotten into you?" George asked again. He couldn't understand why Fred was acting like this. He saw fred throw a sideways glance at the other end of the common room. He looked over to find only three people in that corner.

Hermione who had her nose in a book, like always. Katie who was sitting with Angelina, discussing what was probably quidditch. Suddenly it clicked in George's brain. _Angelina!_

"Is this about what happened at the ball with Angelina? 'Cause you said it was okay… oh Merlin, do you actually fancy her? Oh fuck, that's it, isn't it? Mate, why didn't you say something?" George asked bewildered as to why his twin hadn't told him this key bit of information. George never would have went after her if her if he had known. ' _It's like against twin code!'_

Fred let out a sigh of relief. George had the wrong idea, but he could work with this. It was believable enough since he had originally asked Angelina to the ball. He looked at his brother's face which was filled with regret.

"No, I don't fancy her. It's just weird, ya know? Neither of us has ever dated a bird. At least, not seriously. And I know that there's gonna be a lot of changes between us. That's all. It's just been on my mind. Don't wanna lose ya, Forge." Fred said. And it wasn't a complete lie.

He had thought about the fact that when one of them started dating, the dynamic between them would change. For their entire lived they were Fred and George. Gred and Forge. Partners in crime, Inseparable. And one day, that was gonna change.

And it wouldn't be easy for either twin.

George stared at his twin as he realized what Fred was saying. He was right. Things were gonna change. He genuinely liked Angelina. He was relieved that Fred had not also fancied her, as that would have been incredibly difficult to deal with.

"Oh freddy. Don't worry, It'll still always be you and me against the world. No bird is ever gonna change that." George said, ruffling his twin's hair playfully.

"Alright, alright. Enough of this stupid girl shit. I've had enough emotions for a year. Let's get back to figuring out how this product is gonna work." Fred said with a grin.

He and George, unlike most brothers or males in general, talked about their feelings occasionally. Fred guessed it was easier because they had a stronger bond as twins. George laughed at his statement and nodded.

"You got it bro, No more sappy Witch Weekly worthy material. So I think we should add kappa blood to balance out…" George's voice faded into the background as Fred looked over at Hermione again. Katie and Angelina had went upstairs to bed already, leaving only Fred, George and Hermione in the common room.

Fred steered his thoughts away from the younger witch across the room and focused on what George was saying.

"That way, we can stabilize the potion when we make it into the finalized product!" George said with a smile at his own brilliance.

"Yeah! Let's try it!" Fred replied, not fully understanding what George wanted to try but agreeing anyway.

George picked up the papers that had littered out throughout the table between them and shoved them into his bag. He grabbed their infamous pranking notebook as well.

"Well I don't know about you, but I'm beat. Let's head up for the night!" George said. Fred grinned up at him.

"You go ahead. I wanna read a little more into this potion's book. There's any idea I have that's just waiting to be realized!" Fred lied. He really wanted George to go upstairs so he could corner Hermione. She was still in the corner, fixated on her book and the piece of parchment beside her.

"Are you sure?" George asked. He wasn't sure he entirely believed Fred's reasoning but brushed it off as maybe him wanting to think some more about the whole Angelina situation.

Fred nodded with a grin.

"Alright, don't stay up too late! We've got a full day of mischief tomorrow!" George proclaimed and skipped up the stairs to their dorm.

Fred laughed and leaned back in the armchair. He stared down at the potions book, trying to figure out what exactly he was going to say to Hermione.

He sat there for several minutes before finally deciding to wing it like he usually does.

When he finally stood up and strode over to the couch where Hermione was he couldn't help but laugh at his luck.

Hermione had fallen asleep.

Fred sat down across from her and looked at her peaceful face. She really was beautiful. He decided to pick up her things and lay them out neatly. He rolled up what he could only guess was an essay due in 2 weeks that she had already finished.

He glanced down at the small pile of extra parchment and had an idea. He picked up her quill and took a piece of the parchment into his hands before scrawling out: ' _We should talk. I really want to sort this out. -Fred_ ' And tucking it into one of her books.

He finally picked up a blanket and laid it over her so she would hopefully be more comfortable. He didn't want to risk trying to carry her to her dorm in fear of being found, the stairs giving out, or if she woke up.

With a final glance at her sleeping form, Fred headed up the stairs and into his dorm.

He changed and laid down in his bed and the last thing he thought before shutting his eyes was ' _I'm going to figure this out. I don't know what this is, or what will happen, but I'm going to fix this._ ' and with that lingering thought, Fred fell asleep.

 **AN: A little shorter of a chapter but I wanted to focus on Fred and George's relationship. I hope I did a decent job of explaining why Fred doesn't want to tell George at this moment, but don't worry! It won't be a secret forever! I love Fred and George's dynamic but I also wanted to explore the different sides (Particularly the closer, emotional side) of their relationship. The next chapter will focus on Hermione. I want to cover the different kinds of relationships the characters all have with each other, not just Fred and Hermione's. Finally thank you SO SO much for all the follows, faves and reviews! It has blown my mind at how fast people seem to have found this story! I hope to sufficiently upload as many chapters as I can, as fast as I can! Thank you!**

 **Please Favorite, Follow and Review! 3**


	3. Avoiding Him is Best,Right?

**Disclaimer: I do not own any aspect of the Harry Potter series in any way. The characters, places, and original plot are not mine. Duh.**

 **Chapter 3: Avoiding Him is Best...Right?**

Hermione had a single thought during the following weeks after Yule Ball incident with Fred: " _Avoid, Avoid, Avoid him_ ".

She knew it was probably rude, but at the moment she hadn't really given that part much thought.

When she finally got over the initial " _Oh my Merlin, Oh my Merlin, Fred Weasley kissed me. Fred Weasley. THE FRED WEASLEY,_ " she reminded herself that it wasn't any more than a kiss, and that she and Fred were definitely not about to be anything but distant friends.

" _And I'm okay with that... right? Of course! Why wouldn't I be?,_ " she kept telling herself. But inside, Hermione knew the truth.

That kiss had made her completely and utterly begin to fall for Fred Weasley.

Hermione was far from stupid; she knew what it meant when her heart fluttered every time she saw him or remotely even thought about him. She knew that she fancied Fred, and it was beyond pointless to deny it.

She knew he would never, _ever_ go out with the likes of her. She knew that there were a hundred other girls, girls who were much prettier, and more… developed girls that had more of a chance than she did.

So she avoided Fred Weasley like the black plague.

Everytime he went anywhere near her, she would find an excuse to get away from him as fast as she could. She just couldn't be around him.

This stupid school girl crush was making it impossible for her to do anything more than even glance at Fred.

It was getting extremely ridiculous, and increasingly bothering. It was driving her mad.

Hermione threw herself into her schoolwork and into helping Harry with the Triwizard Tournament in an attempt to forget about whatever happened between her and Fred Weasley.

Of course, that had only worked for about a grand total of 3 weeks.

Most of the month had gone by and Hermione was trying to focus on her end of year exams.

But she was too distracted.

This whole mess with Fred Weasley was starting to affect her work ethic and that simply wouldn't do.

She had no clue how she would fix this. Fred had attempted to corner her a couple of times, but she had always escaped. She could only imagine what the conversation would be like: " _It didn't mean anything. It was just a joke. Like I would go out with you._ " Etc, etc..

So she had continued to run.

However, it had become tiring. She needed to face her feelings and talk to Fred. Or, at least wait for him to try and talk to her again. She deemed closure would be the best option.

She knew nothing would come of it, but she tried to assure herself that hearing Fred say that he didn't feel the same way would help her move on and get back to her life before the Yule Ball incident.

Of course, this drama with Fred didn't stop the fact that things between her and Ronald were still awkward. Though they had silently agreed not to talk about the argument, she still was quite angry at him. She still felt that what he had said was unbelievable and incredibly rude.

This made it even easier to hide her infatuation for his older brother from him and Harry.

Though she loved both boys like family, they were both rather oblivious and borderline stupid when it came to girls and emotions. Although all boys were, so she couldn't hold it against them. However, she knew if things kept up, they would start to notice her strange behavior.

And of course, as soon as she realized this, it happened.

Hermione was sitting in the common room, working on her essay for potions and helping Ron and Harry with the bulk of theirs, when Harry looked at Hermione with concern filling his kind eyes.

"Hermione, is everything okay? You've seemed a little off since…" Harry trailed off as he glanced at Ron, who had gone still, and whose face was slowly turning more and more red.

Hermione sighed and glanced between them. She'd figured that Harry would be the first to notice.

"No, I'm fine. I'm just starting to get nervous with the end of term exams being so close and helping you with the Tournament," she partially lied. Though both were true, neither was the reason behind her abnormal behavior.

"Hermione, the exams are months away! Seriously, you need to not get so stressed about things," Ron told her with an eyeroll at Harry. Hermione huffed and rolled her eyes at Ron in annoyance.

"Hermione, you're gonna ace the exams anyway. There's no need to be so stressed." Harry told her, patting her shoulder.

Harry had quickly taken up the role as the peacemaker between Hermione and Ron. Whenever a fight seemed to be brewing between Ron and Hermione, which was often, Harry jumped in by saying something that appeased them both or changed the subject. When his comment seemed to relax Hermione, he let out a sigh of relief.

Harry and Ron eventually gravitated upstairs while Hermione still was working on homework. Ron tried to point out that the essay she was working on wasn't due for at least another week, but Harry quickly pushed him in the directions of the dorms.

Eventually, Hermione was one of the last people in the common room. Angelina, Katie, and Alicia were across from her discussing Quidditch, while Fred and George sat in the other corner, probably planning their next prank.

Hermione let her eyes flick to where Fred was every few minutes. He and George were in a deep conversation where they kept glancing towards the corner she was in.

For a second, she thought they were looking at her, but then she came to the conclusion that the twins were probably looking at the three pretty Quidditch players behind her. Hermione sighed in defeat. " _Of course he wasn't looking at me. I'm acting so foolish,_ " she scolded herself.

She turned back to her homework. She quickly grew so focused on it, that hours later, when she came up for air, she noticed the older girls had long since gone up to their rooms. She looked up to see George leaving the common room, and heading up the stairs to the boys' dormitory. She rubbed her tired eyes.

This left Fred and her alone in the common room.

Fred didn't move, focused on the book that was in his hands and Hermione decided that she didn't quite feel like talking to him yet. She looked back at her essay and made a few more notes, the scratching of the quill against the parchment filling the awkward silence. Her eyelids seemed to be getting heavier and heavier.

Her eyes started to droop and before she knew it she had drifted to sleep.

When she woke up the next morning, it was sunrise. Hermione had always been an early riser. She quickly gathered her things and cleaned herself up in the girls' bathrooms.

As she was taking a shower, she realized that she had not fallen asleep with a blanket, but had woken up with one. She blushed as she realized only one other person was in the common room when she had fallen asleep. Fred.

He must have been the one to put the blanket on her.

Hermione got dressed and went to gather her books for the day, when she saw a piece of parchment sticking out from her Arithmancy textbook.

"' _We should talk. I really want to sort this out. -Fred_ '" She read and gasped. Fred wanted to talk to her? She tried to quell her conflicted feelings. Once she had her emotions in check, she took out a quill and wrote a response underneath his message.

' _I agree. 7th floor corridor, at 7:00 -Hermione'_ she wrote back. She headed her way down to lunch.

As she was passing the Weasley twins, she dropped the note in Fred's book bag quickly, before hurrying to her spot further down the table.

She steadied her breathing and quickly ate. She finally let the feelings that she had felt in the common room bubble over. ' _I'm going to go meet Fred!'_ She thought happily.

A wave of anxiety hit her. " _Oh Merlin. I'm going to go meet Fred!_ " She thought with sudden dread.

Further up the table, Fred Weasley sat confused. He didn't understand how, but he suddenly felt a foreign wave of excitement and then a wave of nerves.

He decided to not let him be too bothered by it, and continued scarfing down his breakfast, all the while stealing glances at a certain bushy-haired fourth year.

 **AN: AHH YAY! Third chapter! What's this? Are those some soulmate powers I sense? Don't worry! There will be Fremione fluff in the next chapter! They're finally gonna talk to each other! What a big step. XD.**

 **Also, Hermione's body image issues won't be there forever, but I personally think during this time (especially after Ron), she was having a lot of these types of thoughts. Most bullied teenagers do. So bear with me, Hermione's confidence will grow as she does!**

 **Thanks so much for all the follows and favorites!**

 **Please Review!**


	4. Wait, Really? (Really)

**DISCLAIMER: I obviously am not JK Rowling (as far as you know) and thus do not own any aspect of the series or characters.**

 **Chapter 4: Wait, Really? (Really)**

Hermione was anxiously pacing back and forth on the seventh floor. Fred was exactly 5 minutes and 32 seconds late (and counting) for their meeting. She kept glancing down at her watch.

 _Maybe this was a trick. Some stupid joke. What if he decided to just stand me up? Or maybe he'll bring a bunch of people and they'll all laugh at me_ , she thought, chewing on her fingernails nervously.

She shook those thoughts out of her head and glanced around the corridor. She heard hurried footsteps echoing throughout the empty hallway and suddenly Fred came barreling from around the corner, out of breath.

When he reached her, he leaned down and put his hands on his knees as he tried to catch his breath. Hermione stared at him with wide, doe-like eyes.

"S-Sorry I'm late." He gasped out raggedly. He stood up straight and looked at her. A smile filled his face, as he tilted his head slightly to the side.

"It's good to see you, 'Mione," he said. Hermione blushed and looked away from Fred in embarrassment, becoming more nervous now that he was actually here.

"It's okay...it's nice to see you too…" she whispered, her face a bright pink. She tried to take a calming breath to quell her nerves.

"Thanks for meeting with me," she told him with a small smile. Hermione's whole body felt giddy with excitement, the nervousness finally fading away. _Oh Merlin, he actually came!_

"Thanks for finally agreeing to talk to me! I was starting to feel like I'd need to kidnap you in order for us to have a real conversation." he told her with a laugh and slight nudge with his elbow.

Hermione let out a small laugh. She was glad Fred was able to lighten the mood. She felt terribly awkward. Here she was, alone with a boy almost 2 years older than her, whom she had kissed a few weeks prior.

She looked up at him through her lashes and realized she was probably going to have to say something. Anything, really. Now.

"So, I was…"

"Anyway, we should…"

They spoke at the same time.

The pair both blushed and laughed at the coincidence.

"A little more practice and you could be George and me!" He told her, his laugh ringing throughout the halls. It was rich, and deep and it was contagious. Hermione continued to let small giggles escaped her lips.

Fred stared at her. How had he not noticed how fucking cute she was before? He loved the way her face would scrunch up as her twinkling laugh filled the room, which always resulted in a lovely pink color on her porcelain skin. Every part of her face was flawless and all Fred could do was stare.

Hermione looked up at Fred. A small 'O' seemed to adorn his lips, making his face one of surprise.

Hermione suddenly felt a very strong rush of fondness for Fred that felt foreign, but also heightened how much she cared for him.

His dark brown eyes eyes gleamed as the light of the candles flickered around them.

Hermione tried to memorize every freckle, every line, and every last detail in his face. She finally shifted her gaze to his eyes, and she gasped when their eyes met. She felt his gaze boring into her soul. _They're just like chocolate_ , she thought.

Hermione felt her face go as red as Ron's did. She quickly tore her eyes away and looked down at her toes. She had been checking him out!

Fred looked at her with a startled expression at her sudden movement. He had enjoyed their little staring contest. Her deep, warm brown eyes were intoxicating.

"I...uh...you look...nice." Fred mumbled out. He didn't know why he was so nervous. _DAMMIT!_ He thought. _I never get nervous like this. PULL IT TOGETHER, MATE,_ he mentally screamed to himself.

Hermione looked at him with an incredulous expression. _Really? 'You look nice?' That's all he says? Not that I mind, but THAT is what he says?_ Hermione thought.

"Erm, thank you?" She said, while shifting her gaze as she swayed on her feet. This awkward exchange was getting them nowhere, and there was a reason why she had finally agreed to talk with Fred.

"So, what exactly have you been meaning to talk about with me?" Hermione finally asked him, using her Gryffindor courage. Fred took a deep breath and said in one breath,

"I... um… look, I don't know how you feel, because I barely even know what I feel, but I think I really like you or at least I'm starting to, and I don't want this to go away, because it's not a prank, I swear, and I just wanted to maybe give _us_ a go because you're all I can think about since the ball." He rushed out his words, his nerves finally getting the best of him. His face was flushed and he had a small hopeful smile on his face.

"So, I...uh, yeah," he concluded, his face as red as his hair.

Hermione froze as she looked at him. There was only one thing she could think of saying at the moment. She blurted it out with wide eyes:

"Was that even a real sentence? Because I don't think that was." Hermione stated.

Fred blinked at her before opening his mouth and bursting into laughter.

"Typical Hermione. I just confess to her that I fancy her and she's hung up on the grammar aspect. How did you get me to start falling for you." He said with small laughs.

Hermione froze again as she realized exactly what he was saying.

"You…You like…me?" She gaped as she stared at him.

"Well yeah, haven't I said that like 3 times now? I thought you were the brightest witch of our age, 'Mione." Fred told her, rubbing the back of his neck sheepishly.

"I…uh…wow…Are you- Are you sure?" Hermione stuttered out. _Fred Weasley likes me? He fancies me? He…What? No way. He's lying. This is some sort of trick or joke…It must be._ Hermione's brain went into overdrive, examining and analyzing everything he had said and how he said it.

"Uh, well yeah, I'm pretty sure. Why wouldn't I like you?" Fred answered her. He could almost see the gears turning in her brain.

"Well…I'm…well I'm me." She stated with a huff.

"Are you still on that? Because Hermione, if you don't think you're beautiful, something must be wrong with your brain. You're a genius, gorgeous, kind and even funny when you want to be. You're perfect." Fred told her sincerely. And he meant every word of it.

"This isn't a prank? I swear, Fred Weasley, if this is some kind of joke, I will murder yo-"

"It's no joke! I swear! I would never joke about something like this," he interrupted her, looking at her and begging her to believe him.

"I...okay." Hermione said, Her breath was coming faster and faster, and she tried to steady it.

I find you amazing, Hermione." Fred told her, brushing a small piece of hair behind her ear with a shaking hand. _She hasn't said anything,_ Fred thought. _Oh Merlin, she hasn't said anything. Did I mess up? What do I do? PLEASE SAY SOMETHING_ , he silently begged.

Fred knew that this was going to be the start of something big. He could feel it in his bones. In fact, both he and Hermione felt it.

It was as if fate was binding them together.

Or at least, it felt like it, Hermione rationalized, as she knew fate was a man-made concept that didn't really influence the outcome of things.

"I…I think you're amazing too…" Hermione trailed off.

"Wait, really?" Fred asked, a large smile beginning to form on his face.

"Yes! I know I haven't always acted like it…but I think your magic is amazing and your products are brilliant. You're going to do amazing things, Fred," she told him while twiddling her thumbs.

Hermione recently had realized that she used to treat the twins with frostiness and in the past had scoffed at their many childish pranks and mischief. Maybe it was the studious bookworm in her. She had always admired their work in secret, though.

Fred gaped at Hermione with delight. Pride swelled in his chest and Hermione let out a small gasp at the feeling she had also just had, though she didn't know why she felt the foreign wave of emotion.

However, before she could think about it, Fred leaned in and pressed his lips to hers.

Hermione simply melted. She felt as if she was a bowl of ice cream and Fred was the blazing sun that thawed her.

Their lips moved together clumsily and their teeth bumped together from their lack of experience.

It was perfect.

Hermione felt her knees shake, and tingles down her spine. This was even better than the first kiss. Sweeter, longer, and more lovely in every way.

Wrapped up in Hermione, Fred felt victorious. She hadn't pushed him off _and_ she was kissing him back!

Her soft lips were heaven and he couldn't get enough.

They pulled apart for air after a few moments, both of their breaths ragged and their faces flushed.

"So, does this mean we're…together?" Hermione asked tentatively.

"Only if you want to be…" Fred answered. He secretly crossed his fingers behind his back and gave a silent prayer to Merlin.

"I would…" Hermione told him with a small smile.

Fred let out a whoop of success and picked her up to spin her around in a tight embrace. Their laughter blended together as echoes at the end of the hallway.

As he gently put her down and kissed her cheek, Hermione suddenly felt nervous as she thought of the people downstairs, all at dinner.

"Fred… Can...can we keep it a secret? Not forever…just for right now. From everyone." She asked, nervous he would be upset with her.

Fred nodded, agreeing completely.

"I...I think we should. Not that I wouldn't love showing you off, but there would be so many prying eyes and pressure. And I want more than anything to not screw this up," he told her, reaching for her hand and linking their fingers.

"It's settled then," Hermione said with a bright smile that made Fred's heart skip a beat. He vowed to keep making her smile like that.

"How about a kiss to seal the deal?" He suggested with a wink. He mentally applauded himself at the lack of stutter.

Hermione reached up on her tiptoes and gave him a slow kiss. She leaned back far too soon, in both of their opinions. She smiled when she pulled back and he made a noise of disappointment.

"I know. I want to stay here, but dinner is about to be over, and I have to hurry back. I'm going to tell Ron and Harry I got caught up in the library." Hermione told him, trying to look as truthful as she possibly could, as she grabbed his hand and walked towards the stairs.

Fred laughed. If he didn't know what _really_ happened, he would have believed her story.

"What are you going to tell George and Lee?" She asked, making sure he knew what he was going to say.

Fred thought about it. It was hard to think of something believable that would fool George.

"I'll tell them that I thought I was really close to a breakthrough on a new product." He decided, looking at her for approval. Hermione nodded.

She kissed him one last time before she released his hand. They had reached the stairs.

"Meet me in the Owlery at 6:00. No one should be in there and it's a good hiding spot. Bring a letter and pretend you're sending it off to someone, so that if anyone sees you, you'll have a convincing story." Fred told her, kissing her cheek.

He leaned down to her ear and whispered quietly,

"Remember. Our little secret." Fred took off down the stairs, leaving behind a blushing but thrilled Hermione on the top of the steps.

 **AN: AH YAY HAPPINESS! All the fluff! Now I promise that it won't be a secret forever! The next chapter will focus on some more secret moments between them. But beware… Drama is coming.**

 **ALSO LONGEST CHAPTER EVER YAS**

 **Thanks for everything!**

 **Please Review!**


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